Toe and instep stretcher for boots or shoes



(No Model.)

4 C. S. CASE.

TOE AND INSTEP STRETOHER FOB BOOTS OR SHOES.

No. 310,380. Patented Jan. 6, 1885.

Inventor.

Wtinesses. OQ QW Q miww ilNTTEn STaTes PATENT Orrice.

CHARLES S. CASE, OF BINGl-IAMTON, NINV YORK.

TOE AND lNSTEP STRETCHER FOR BOOTS OR SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 310,380, dated January6, 1885.-

Application liled October H, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES S. CASE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Binghaur ton, in the county of Broome and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toe and InstepStretcher-s; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters orfigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The object of my invention is to furnish a means by which boots andshoes may be stretched in a particular place, more especially at the toeand instep, without injury to the iit of the other parts; and Iaccomplish this by means of the last or tree shown in the drawings.

Figure 1 is an outline view of the last, and Fig. 2 is a view of alongitudinal scction'of it when it is divided vertically.

It may be constructed as follows: Take an ordinary last, out off theheel, then saw the last lengthwisehorizontally into the three parts 0,I), and E, and hinge them together by means of the hingejoints A and B,as shown in the drawings. The rod F is of iron, made long enough toadmit of use in a boot, with a T'handle at the top by which to turn it,and the sleeve G is of gas-pipe or other suitable material, just largeenough to turn or slide on the rod F without injuring the screw-threadcut on the lower part of it, made somewhat shorter than the rod F, andwith a T-handle at the upper end, and screw-threads are cut on the lowerpart of both rod and'sleeve, as shown.

In the bottom of the section E, near the heel, is a plate, J, fastenedto the bottom of the last, with a hole through it and through the lastfor the rod F. The rod is shouldered down near the end, and the smallpart, without screw, is riveted loosely in the plate J, and turns in theplate, and the shoulder of therod bears on the top of the plate. Theplate is thickened where the rod passes through it and countersunk onthe outer or lower side for the head formed by riveting the rod; or itmay be made by letting in an uncut nut in which to rivet the rod, andfastening a thin plate on the bottom of the last to cover it.

In the section D, near the heel and over the bearing-nut J, a hole ismade to allow the passage of the rod F, which has a screw-thread fromthe shoulder at J upward, and this hole must be slightly elongated, soas not to cramp on the red as the section works up and down on the rod.In the upper part of the section D at this hole the threaded nut I islet in, through which the rod F works. To keep the nut in place, it mustbe covered by a plate screwed or otherwise fastened to the wood. The nutmust be left with a little play to work back and forth as the section D,in which it is confined, is raised or lowered by turning the rod F, andwill work easier if the top of the nut is slightly oval. It will bereadily seen that by turning the rod and forcing down the heel partof 1) any required amount of press ure upward at the too may beproduced. If it is desired to stretch some particular place, thewell-known bunion now in common but care must be taken or a hole will betorn in the shoe, as the pressure is very great.

In the section 0, over the holes in the other sections, is a slot madelarge enough to allow the sleeve G to pass through it. ()n the underside of the section 0 is a threaded nut, H, to work on the thread on thelower end of the sleeve G, and this nut may be set in and confined inthe same way as above described for the nut I. The end of the sleeve Gbears on the plate which covers the nut I, and it will be seen thatturning this sleeve will force up the section 0 as far as may be desiredto stretch the instep of a boot.

I am aware that a boot-tree is in use having an instep-stretcher similarto the one hereshown, and I do not claim this as my invention, except asused in eombinationwith the other parts of the device.

The hinge A may be made with a tongueon each of its flat surfaces, and agroove made in each of the sections D and E for it to slide in, ifdesired, and when so made may be adjusted according to the use required3 butI do not consider this desirable or necessary.

The heel L and wedge K are the same as in IOO common use, and the pointof greatest pressure at the toe may be varied by making the wedge Kthick or thin, as occasion demands,

and the whole last may be made of iron, if

greater strength and durability are required. The sleeve G may also bemade with a nut in the lower end working on the thread on the rod F anda flange on the sleeve to raise the section 0.

Having thus described my invention and the method of its construction,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

CHARLES S. CASE.

W'i tnesses:

A. L. PINE, B. N. Looms.

